Shades of Grey
by Istillwishiwasaweasley
Summary: Hermione's world is black and white. She knows this. But when shades of Grey begin to appear how will she deal with it, who will be there to help her?
1. Prologue

Shades of Grey

Prologue

"_Minerva I love you, you know I do but we can't keep this child" said Albus looking down into his arms. A small baby was yawning widely; she opened her dark brown eyes and looked up at her fathers face,_

"_Albus, please you give up so much for the good of the world, we have kept out marriage a secret, please don't give her up, she's our child…"_

"_Exactly" said Albus handing the baby back to Minerva "If we allow this child to be known, everything we have worked for will be for nothing. Everyone will know about us"_

"_Maybe it's time we told them Albus?"_

"_Minerva we can't, if everyone knew you would be in more danger, we all would, she would be kidnapped, and she will most likely become one of the most powerful witches of her age!"_

"_Please Albus, don't do this, it's not fair, if you do this I will never forgive you"_

"_Minerva, please, I love you but we can not keep this child!"_

"_I mean it Albus if you send her away I will never forgive you!"_

"_Then that is something that I must learn to live with, she must grow up away from magic, it's too dangerous"_

"_You are going to send our only child into the Muggle world!" Minerva screamed her eyes filled with tears, the girl began to squirm in her arms, Minerva shushed her gently and placed her in the cot before turning back to Albus._

"_She will be safe there, until she is ready, until she comes to Hogwarts"_

"_And what then Albus! You will tell her who she is!" she cried knowing full well that Albus would never tell his daughter. _

"_We will send her away, until she is ready" Albus replied turning his back on his love, and his daughter._

A/N I know it's a short prologue, but I really needed to set up the story. This is a fairly cannon fic, Dumbledore is dead and this is a flashback. Please review! The next chapter will be in the present and will feature our favourite Gryffindors!

Bye

Laura

xxx


	2. Concerned Eyes

Shades of Grey

Concerned eyes

Hermione Granger was sitting at her favourite table in the library. She was currently struggling with a very difficult Arithmancy chart. She was sitting on her own as Harry, Ron and Ginny were currently at Quidditch practise. As her thoughts strayed to her friends she couldn't help but smile. They had been so good to over the past few months, they had given her space when she needed it, and a hug when she needed to cry. When she saw her parent's bodies she had thought that her life was over. She had been so consumed with guilt; if she wasn't a witch then they wouldn't have been caught up with the war.

It was now early December and Hermione was so glad that they had decided to come back to Hogwarts, they knew that the Horcruxes were still out there but Harry knew that they were not yet powerful enough to find them. One more year of magical education and then they would search for the final pieces of Voldemort's soul. They had spent the first few months of the term researching on the four founders as well as doing their regular school work. It had been tiring but Hermione was determined that her grades would not suffer. So far they hadn't, but her success had come at a price she was spending much more time buried in school work and less time eating, sleeping and above all, spending time with Ron. Hermione and Ron had been together since the first week of term, a moment of comfort had turned into a declaration of their feelings, and Hermione couldn't be happier with how things had turned out.

Hermione's musings were disturbed by the arrival of a tired looking Ginny. She sat down and pulled out her DADA textbook.

"Hi Ginny, how was Quidditch?" asked Hermione looking up from her chart,

"It was alright, Harry and Ron are still in the shower, I had to be quick I've got an essay for Lupin in for … Hermione are you ok? You look really pale?" she added in a concerned voice,

"I'm just tired Gin, honestly don't look so worried, N.E.W.T.'s aren't a walk in the park you know?" Hermione replied grinning slightly, Ginny was saved the bother of replying by the arrival of Harry and Ron. Ron gave Hermione a quick kiss on the head and sat down next to her.

"'Mione, you look terrible! Are you ok?" he shouted, causing Madam Pince and others in the vicinity to turn and stare at the table of friends,

"Sorry" Ron said sheepishly, and lowering his voice he turned back to his girlfriend with a concerned face.

"I'm fine Ron, don't look so worried" she said quietly, turning back to her work,

"Hermione you do look peaky, have you had any more of those funny turns?" asked Harry looking at her

"What funny turns?" asked Ron turning to Harry, Hermione suddenly looked awkward.

"You didn't tell him! Yesterday when we went to the owlery and as I was attaching the letter to Hedwig's leg and I turned around and she was white as a sheet and clutching on to the handrail for support. You said you were going to see Madam Pomfrey!" Harry said rounding on Hermione, Ron turned to look at her,

"Look, your just overreacting! It was cold and I hadn't brought a cloak out with me, I just went a bit dizzy that's all" Hermione replied not looking up at her work. Ron grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet,

"Come on, we're going to the hospital wing!"

"Ron, No! I've got to finish this essay!"

"Please Hermione it will only take a minute" he asked with such a voice that Hermione felt powerless to resist and allowed herself to be steered towards the hospital wing.

As they entered Madam Pomfrey was talking quietly to Professor McGonagall, she looked up and walked towards the young couple,

"Miss Granger, you don't look well, I'm assuming that's why you are here?" she asked taking in Hermione's appearance

"Yes Madam Pomfrey" replied Ron "Hermione hasn't been feeling well and she's been having funny turns all over the place" Hermione glared at him,

"Honestly, Ron don't over exaggerate, I had one dizzy moment!" she looked up at Madam Pomfrey "But I have been feeling a bit ill, have you got a potion or something, I can't afford my grades to suffer" she asked politely, Professor McGonagall replied,

"Miss Granger, you must make sure that your health is your number one concern" she said looking down at the witch with concerned eyes, Professor McGonagall then looked up at Madam Pomfrey "Thanks for the advice Poppy" and she left.

Madam Pomfrey told Ron to stay where he was and showed Hermione to a bed. Ron stood there waiting. After a few minutes Hermione emerged holding a large vial of potion,

"It's just stress Ron, I've got to take this potion once a day and try and eat regularly and I'll be fine" she said looking at his worried form, she walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the lips. Ron grinned and they walked back to the library together hand in hand.

A/N Hope you like this chapter, please review! Thanks for the reviews!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	3. Lemon Drops

Shades of Grey

Lemon drops

"_Minerva, you know this is the right thing to do!" Albus whispered as they stood at the door of a rather large Victorian house on the outskirts of Birmingham waiting to be let in._

"_I don't know what you want me to say Albus! I have already given my opinion, if you give her away it will be over between us" she replied not looking at him._

"_Min please…"_

"_Don't call me that Albus" she retorted as the door opened. Behind the door stood a young woman in her mid thirties. She had brown mid length hair and a look of extreme nervousness,_

"_Mr Dumbledore I presume" she asked _

"_Yes Mrs Granger, and may I introduce my wife Minerva"_

_Mrs Granger smiled at Minerva, who did not reciprocate. "Please excuse Minerva she is finding this difficult" Albus said placing a hand on Minerva's shoulder,_

"_Of course, please do come in" she replied stepping back and allowing the guests to enter the sitting room._

"_Unfortunately my husband could not make it today, he is minding the practise" she said apologetically indicating towards the sofas. Minerva and Albus sat down._

"_I believe you are dentists, is that correct?" asked Albus politely_

"_Yes that's right, we have a practise just around the corner, it's only the two of us that run it so one of us needed to be there for morning surgery Tom was very sorry he couldn't make it, we are interviewing for a new partner so that we can have more time off with the baby", at the mention of her daughter Minerva's grip tightened, noticing this Helen Granger smiled sadly at the elder women,_

"_I understand this must be difficult" Minerva did not reply._

"_As we understand it you are aware of the magical world?" Albus questioned politely,_

"_Yes, my sister was a witch but her and her husband were killed by death eaters two years ago"_

"_I'm sorry to hear that" Albus replied_

"_Thank you, I am guessing that's why you are giving her up, to protect her?" Helen questioned_

"_Yes, as you may be aware both mine and Minerva's role in this war is great, we have had to keep our marriage a secret and if the enemy knew of our daughter she would be in great danger" Albus replied sadly staring down at the baby nestled in his wife's arms "We were looking for someone to adopt her who knew of the magical world but was not directly involved in it and a contact of mine gave me your details"_

"_Yes, Brian was a contact of my sister's and knew that Tom and I can't have children of our own. We had hoped to adopt but the system is very rigorous. We will take good care of her Mrs Dumbledore," she said looking at Minerva,_

"_My name is McGonagall, Minerva McGonagall" Minerva said tears threatening to spill._

"_We would not like her to be aware of the magical world until she gets her letter from Hogwarts, and I believe it would be safer if she didn't know that you weren't her real parents"_

"_That suits us fine, we will raise her like our own" Helen replied._

"_It is time Minerva" Albus said quietly, Minerva stood up slowly and gave her daughter a soft kiss on the head. She carefully passed her over to Helen, who received her with equal care,_

"_Do you have a name for her?" Helen asked the witch_

"_No we thought you'd like…" Albus answered but Minerva interrupted,_

"_Hermione, I'd like her to be called Hermione"_

"_Very well, well we had thought of Jane, so we can use that for her middle name, Hermione Jane Granger" Helen smiled and Albus tried to take his wife's hand but she pulled it away,_

"_We will leave you now, thank you for your help" Albus said taking a step towards the door,_

"_No, thank you, you don't know what this means to us, umm… may I offer you a lemon drop before you leave?" Albus took one, knowing that Helen had not provided drinks in case they changed their minds during the time._

_They walked out of the house after both kissing their daughter on the head. As they reached the gate Minerva turned to her husband with tears travelling down her cheeks,_

"_It's over Albus, I will never forgive you for this" she said it with such a tone that Albus knew she meant it. She walked passed him and apparated away before he could even tell her how much he love her._

A/N Hope you like that flashback, we're back with Hermione in the next chapter. Please review I love getting them, they brighten up my day!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	4. Duelling and Tests

Shades of Grey

Duelling and Tests

As they entered the DADA classroom Professor Lupin looked up,

"Come in, sit down but don't take your books out it's a practical lesson today" most of the class looked excited at this proclamation but Hermione groaned inwardly, she still wasn't feeling well despite taking the potion every day for the past week and Ron ensuring that she ate regularly. She took a seat in between Harry and Ron, pulled her wand out of her pocket and looked up at Professor Lupin,

"I thought we'd have a duelling tournament today, disarming only obviously and you can use verbal and non-verbal spells" The class murmured in excitement whilst Hermione bit her lip as another wave of nausea washed over her,

"So let's see, first Dean and Ron if you'd like to start us off" The two boys walked to the front of the class and began to duel, it didn't last long with all of Harry's training Ron disarmed Dean within a minute.

"Well done Ron, no lets see, next lets have Harry and Hermione" Hermione stood up with Harry and walked shakily towards the clearing, She got into the duelling position and looked up at Harry, who stared back at her with slight concern,

"1, 2…" but Hermione never heard 3. As Lupin had began counting such a powerful wave of dizziness hit her that she fell to the floor, she was struggling to remain conscious,

"Hermione are you ok?" Lupin asked quickly kneeling at her side, She felt rather than heard Ron and Harry move towards her,

"I'm fine….I just…" but what Hermione was 'just' they never heard because at that moment she lost the battle and fell into a deep faint.

"Hermione, Hermione can you hear me?" asked Lupin loudly, when he heard no response her conjured a stretcher and Ron lifted Hermione carefully onto it,

"Class dismissed" Lupin called unnecessarily as her levitated Hermione towards the hospital wing, Ron and Harry followed in silence. When they reached the hospital wing Ron and Harry held open the doors and Lupin walked in with Hermione.

"Poppy!" called Lupin loudly; Madam Pomfrey hurried out of her office and helped Lupin lower the young witch on to a bed.

"Remus what happened?" she asked quickly whilst waved her wand in complicated patterns over Hermione,

"She was just about to start duelling and she just collapsed, she didn't look good before maybe I shouldn't have picked her," he replied guiltily.

"Mr Weasley, has she been taking her potion?" Madam Pomfrey asked Ron who was standing with Harry at the foot of the bed,

"Yes, every day and I've been making sure she eats properly" Ron replied, his eyes not leaving Hermione's face.

"Mr Potter, please go and get the Headmistress, she will need to give her permission for further tests" Harry left at a sprint,

"What was the potion for Poppy?" queried Lupin

"She came here last week, I thought she had some sort of a virus, so I gave her a potion to boost her immune system but obviously it's something more serious".

After a few minutes passed in silence the doors of the hospital wing swung open and Professor McGonagall entered looking worried, followed by Harry.

"Poppy, how is she?" asked Minerva suddenly,

"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley please wait outside" ordered Madam Pomfrey, Ron looked unwilling to leave, Lupin walked up to him and placed his hand on the young wizard's shoulder,

"Come on, we'll all have tea in my office, Poppy could you Floo us when you get any news?" Madam Pomfrey nodded and Ron took one last look at Hermione's sleeping face before following Lupin and Harry out of the room.

Madam Pomfrey looked up at Minerva,

"I need to do some more tests Minerva, her pulse is slow and she's so pale"

"Of course do what you need" as Poppy gathered the appropriate equipment, Minerva sat down next to Hermione's bed.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she slowly looked around trying to place where she was,

"Miss Granger your awake! How do you feel?" asked Poppy causing the witch to jump slightly

"I'm fine…just a bit tired and cold…What happened?" Hermione asked croakily, Madam Pomfrey answered as Minerva brought some blankets from the other beds and placed them over Hermione,

"You fainted in Defence against the Dark Arts, how have you been feeling? Has the potion helped at all?" Hermione shook her head,

"I was going to come and see you today, if I didn't feel any better, I just feel so dizzy all the time, What's wrong with me?" she asked in a frightened voice that Minerva had never heard her use before,

"I'm not sure, I'm going to run some test's, rest now" Hermione nodded and thanked Professor McGonagall for the blankets. She closed her eyes and thought sleepily, she always did well in tests.

A/N What did you think of this chapter? Please review I love getting feedback. We're back with Minerva in the next chapter, what do you think of the alternating chapters?

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	5. Hogwarts: A History

Shades of Grey

Hogwarts: A History

_Minerva was standing outside the Victorian house that she had been inside 11 years ago. It was time for Hermione to re-enter the magical world. Albus had been unwilling to allow her to deliver Hermione's letter but Minerva had insisted. Her and Albus's relationship had broken apart when he had given Hermione away, it had never repaired itself, and Minerva doubted it ever would. She loved Albus, she always had but she was one of the things he had given up for the good of the magical world that was one thing she had in common with her daughter. Albus had tried to win Minerva back, but she had been so mad with him, she had given him an ultimatum, "Bring Hermione back and you can have me" she had ordered, after a while he gave up trying._

_The area hadn't changed much in ten years; it could have been yesterday if it wasn't for the newer car parked on the drive. Minerva walked up to the door and pushed the doorbell. She heard footsteps approaching the door and it was opened by Hermione. Minerva started, she looked so grown up, her hair was brown and bushy._

"_Hello, you must be Miss Granger"_

"_Yes, who are you?" she asked politely_

"_I am Professor McGonagall, I'm here to deliver you a letter, Are your parents in?" Minerva replied, Hermione shouted upstairs to her mother who walked down the stairs slowly and looked at Minerva with mild apprehension,_

"_Mrs Granger, I'm Professor McGonagall I have come to deliver a letter to your daughter" Minerva acted as though she had never met Helen, who followed her lead,_

"_Ok, well why don't we go into the kitchen and I'll make a drink, Hermione go and put your book away, you can finish it later" Hermione scowled at her mother and ran upstairs to put the book away. Helen led Minerva into the kitchen,_

"_Professor McGonagall, please don't tell her" she begged as soon as Minerva had sat down,_

"_I won't Mrs Granger, she is happy here?" Minerva asked_

"_She is, she's very smart but she hasn't got many friends her intelligence isolates her, I think Hogwarts will be a clean break for her…" Helen was interrupted when Hermione entered the kitchen looking curiously at Minerva, who handed her the letter. Hermione read while her mother made some tea._

"_Magic…That's what I can do" Hermione said quietly looked up at Minerva when she had finished reading the letter,_

"_What sort of things can you do Miss Granger?" Minerva asked_

"_When I get upset, things break or I get hurt" she replied guiltily,_

"_How do you get hurt?" Minerva asked concerned, it was usual for young witches or wizards who are experiencing heightened emotions to break things with their powers, but injuring themselves was not common, Helen answered,_

"_Last summer we were on holiday in Italy and Hermione was being bullied by some boys and all of a sudden she started bleeding from her hands, the boys ran off and she came to find us, we took her straight to the hospital, they assumed that Hermione had been cut by the boys but she maintained that they hadn't touched her and that the cuts had just appeared" Minerva was concerned by this but chose not to show it,_

"_It is common for underage witches to demonstrate their powers when they are scared. At Hogwarts we will teach you how to control you powers"_

_Hermione looked excited but rather anxious,_

"_But, I don't know any magic!" she cried looking up at her mother_

"_I'm sure you will learn quickly Hermione, you love learning you've yet to read a book that you haven't learnt by heart" at this Minerva remembered the gift she had bought along with her,_

"_Hermione I thought you might like to read this, it will explain all about Hogwarts and various aspects of the magical world" she passed Hermione a copy of Hogwarts: A History which she eagerly accepted. Minerva spent the next hour answering Hermione's questions and explaining how they knew that Hermione was a witch. _

_After she had finished telling Hermione how to get her school supplies and how to get to the school she got up from the table and made her way to the door, Hermione thanked her and ran upstairs to begin reading, Helen followed Minerva to the door and held it open for her,_

"_Thank you, for not telling her" she said_

"_I promised myself that I wouldn't, thank you for taking such good care of her"_

_Helen smiled and Minerva walked out of the house trying not to look behind her, trying to let go._

A/N What do you think? Thanks for my reviews please keep going!

Love you all

Laura

xxx 


	6. Christmas plans

Shades of Grey

Christmas plans

Hermione was frustrated. She had been in the hospital for 3 days, and she still didn't know what was wrong with her. Everyone was leaving for Christmas the next day and Hermione was desperate to go with them, she wanted to spend Christmas with Ron, as if this thought had strayed into her boyfriends head he suddenly spoke,

"I really want to spend Christmas with you" he said it in such a obvious voice that for a split second Hermione thought that he had read her mind.

"I know Ron, I want to be with you too, I just want to get out of here, I'm bored, and I hate seeing you worry about me!"

"Course I'm worried, I love you" he replied, Hermione flushed,

"Glad to see a bit of colour in your cheeks Miss Granger" said Madam Pomfrey as she approached with a clipboard in her hands,

"Now I've had the results back from St Mungo's and they make for strange reading so I'm going to do the tests again" she said in a business like tone,

"What's wrong with them?" asked Ron in a worried voice, the one that Hermione hated to hear,

"Well according to this your pureblood, so obviously it's a mistake, don't worry I'll take the results in myself to check that they are done correctly, we should have to results tomorrow"

"Madam Pomfrey, I really wanted to spend Christmas with Ron's family" Hermione said desperately,

"Well we'll have to see what the results are, it may not be possible. The potions I'm giving you really don't seem to have any effect whatsoever, we really need to find out what is causing these symptoms and until we do you're staying here" Madam Pomfrey replied with a final tone in her voice, she performed the tests and left the hospital wing.

Hermione scowled,

"Don't scowl Hermione you might be out of here tomorrow!" Hermione smiled at his confidence and he held her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

The following day dawned bright and cold, but Hermione did not feel it. She was just finishing her breakfast when Madam Pomfrey entered with a sombre look on her face, Hermione put down her slice of toast and looked up at the witch apprehensively,

"Hermione, I've had the results back from the hospital and they have indicated that you have Bygon's disorder, it is a disorder which affects the…"

"That can't be" Hermione interrupted "Bygon's disorder is a pureblood disease, muggleborns don't develop it" she finished with a frown at the incompetence of the St Mungo's healers,

"I'm aware of that Miss Granger and the results have been checked and it turns out that…that you are in fact…pureblood"

"I'm muggleborn!" said Hermione indignantly,

"Miss Granger I understand that this is difficult but I see two possible explanations, either your parents were magical or you are adopted. I'm sorry that you had to find out like this but it's the reality of the situation"

"I'm muggleborn" Hermione repeated, tears were threatening to spill, how dare Madam Pomfrey suggest that her parents had lied to her?

"You're pureblood Miss Granger" Madam Pomfrey replied firmly "On the positive side of this we can now begin your treatment, now you will have this disorder for the majority of your life, although it can't be cured it is very treatable and you will lead a normal life. As long as you take this potion morning and night everyday you should have very few problems" she said handing Hermione a large vial of potion

"Morning and night…" Hermione repeated in a dazed voice, she couldn't believe this was happening to her,

"You may spend Christmas at the Burrow, I have briefed Molly Weasley on your situation and she will be keeping a close eye on you to check your progress throughout the holiday, it may take you a few weeks to get used to the treatment so I would avoid vigorous activities if I were you…." Madam Pomfrey continued in this manner for some time, giving Hermione instructions and advice but Hermione had switched off; her perfectly ordered world was beginning to fade.

A/N Please review! Thanks for all the feedback I've had! I will try to update tomorrow.

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	7. Ravenclaw Wishes

Shades of Grey

Ravenclaw wishes

_Minerva was nervous. Although to many she appeared strong and in control, today she was a gibbering wreck, and what was worse, he knew it. Minerva was standing in the entrance hall waiting for Hagrid to bring the new students across the lake. The other children were waiting in the Great Hall and she could hear the loud rumble of their voices. She heard footsteps approaching and turned. Albus was walking towards her with his hands by his sides._

"_Are you ready Minerva?" he asked calmly as he had done every other year that she had sorted the new arrivals,_

"_Of course I am" she snapped, she regretted it immediately but did not show it,_

"_She is one of many Minerva, you must treat her as you treat the others" he said quietly slipping into the Great Hall behind her. She turned towards the stairs willing the tears not to fall. She sniffed. She hated arguing with Albus, but these past 11 years they had not had much contact besides official duties. She missed him, but would not go back on her word, she would never forgive him. _

"_First years Professor McGonagall" shouted Hagrid breaking her out of her reverie_

"_Thank you Hagrid" she replied turning towards the students and entered into her speech. She spotted her immediately, she had a nervous, yet determined face, Minerva knew it well for she had worn it on her first day._

_She led the students into the front entrance hall and began the sorting, she had to remain cold, distant but when she called out her name she found it hard to prevent a slight crackle, she was sure that Albus would detect it,_

"_Hermione Granger"_

_Hermione ran eagerly up to the stool and Minerva placed the hat on her head wondering which house she would belong, secretly she hoped that she would be in Ravenclaw. From the meeting a few weeks ago Minerva could tell that she was intelligent. It would be too hard if she was a Gryffindor, she would be too close for comfort._

"_GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, Hermione's face lit up with delight as she passed back the hat and ran to the table, Minerva threw half a glance at Albus who had closed his eyes momentarily, no doubt sensing her anguish._

_Later that night Minerva sat alone in her quarters, usually at this time she would be reading or preparing lessons but tonight she knew that she wouldn't be able to concentrate. Her daughter was at Hogwarts, she was in Gryffindor, the next day she would be teaching her. Minerva simply sat in her leather arm chair staring into the crackling fire. _

_A knock at the door disturbed her thoughts, she stood up and walked to the door, as she opened it Albus looked back at her with those twinkling eyes,_

"_Up so late Minerva?" Albus questioned, a ripple of anger spread through her, how could her be so calm, so emotionless,_

"_I could say the same to you" she replied coldly, not allowing him in._

"_I was simply walking around the castle and thought that I would check on you…"_

"_I'm not a child Albus, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself"_

"_Of that I have no doubt, I was not enquiring as to you physical being, rather how you were feeling" she pulled back from the door allowing him to enter._

"_How do you think I am Albus?" she challenged as he sat down,_

"_I think that you want to cry, but have no shoulder to cry on. You have just seen our daughter return to us yet you can not hug her, or treat her any differently. I think you are apprehensive about the next seven years in her company without her calling you anything but 'Professor', I think you secretly hoped she would be placed in any other house but Gryffindor, Ravenclaw perhaps, for fear that others may notice that you care more about her than your other young lions and finally I think you are still angry with me for bringing you this pain" Minerva turned to him, as usual he could read her like a book, she didn't know what to say so she let the tears speak, they fell on to her cheeks before she could stop them._

_A moment later, Minerva was not quite sure how it happened, she was crying on his shoulder, grateful for the comfort he would offer, knowing it would never again lead to anything more, so she cried for all of them, Hermione, Albus and herself._

A/N That chapter was very hard to write! I hope you liked it sorry for the slight delay! Please review, and thanks for all the feedback so far! It's Christmas in the next chapter which should be up very soon!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	8. Three words

Shades of Grey

Three words

Hermione was sat on the edge of her bed with her trunk next to her. She had returned to the dormitory just as Parvati and Lavender were leaving, they both wished her a merry Christmas, which she returned. Hermione had always loved Christmas but this year she was feeling far from festive. She had been looking forward to Christmas at the Burrow since Ron had invited her in November, but now she just wished it was over and done with. She heard a small knock on her door and looked up to see Ginny pulling her trunk behind her,

"You ready Hermione?" she called

"Yep" Hermione replied standing up and grabbing the handle of her trunk. She followed Ginny down the stairs and into the Common room. They walked over to Ron, who was sitting in one of the armchairs by the fire,

"Ron, where's Harry?" Ginny questioned immediately

"He's just finishing his packing" Ron replied, as Ginny ran up the stairs to help him Ron turned to Hermione,

"You ok Mione, you look a bit peaky, have you taken your…?"

"Ron, I'm fine I took my potion this morning when you reminded me" she snapped, "Sorry, I'm just a bit tired, I didn't sleep well" she continued in a small voice.

"It's alright, lets just get home and then you can have a nap if you want" he replied holding her hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

Hermione felt very guilty. She had not told anyone of the conversation with Madam Pomfrey, and she was not looking forward to a few weeks with Mrs Weasley buzzing round her like a bee. She knew she would tell Ron eventually but right now she just wanted to get out of Hogwarts, even if it was to the Burrow. She had been unable to sleep in the hospital wing the previous night, she kept going over what Madam Pomfrey had said trying to find a loophole. In the end she concluded that her parents had lied to her, she missed them terribly but she knew that if she saw them now she would be mad at them. People had always said to her how she looked nothing like her parents but she had never questioned that they could possibly have adopted her, why would she? She was pretty sure that her parents were not magical, they showed no knowledge of the magical world and she often found it hard to explain things to them that involved her school life.

"Come in dears, its wonderful to have you home!" exclaimed Mrs Weasley as they arrived in her kitchen after flooing from Professor Lupin's office.

"Hi mum it's great to be home umm… I'm hungry" were Ron's first words to his mother, she looked at him in a loving maternal way and began to make him some soup, Harry and Ginny disappeared upstairs and Hermione sat next to her boyfriend.

"Do you want some soup dear?" Mrs Weasley asked her gently,

"No thank you Mrs Weasley, I'm not hungry" Hermione replied,

"Ok just a small bowl then, we need to build up you strength" Hermione smiled at Mrs Weasley whilst Ron looked up at his mother,

"Mum, Hermione's ok now Madam Pomfrey gave her the all clear" he said in a slightly confused voice, Mrs Weasley looked down at Hermione with a knowing smile,

"I'll leave you to tell him Hermione" she said placing the soup bowls on the table. Hermione gulped and turned to look at Ron,

"Now Ron you don't need to worry…" she began but then her voice failed her,

"Oh Merlin, Hermione what is it?" he asked desperately,

"I've got Bygon's disorder" she stated simply not looking at him,

"Bygon's…Nice try Hermione but I'm not that stupid, you're muggleborn!" he shouted in a hurt voice,

"I'm not…I'm pureblood, my parents must have adopted me or something, I only just found out…I'm sorry I didn't tell you straight away but I needed to get my head around it…I just don't understand why they didn't tell me…I miss them so much but right now I'm really, really angry with them and I shouldn't be…" Hermione was working herself into a state and Ron sensed that,

"Hermione, it's ok" he said loudly,

"How can you say that Ron!" she replied with equal volume,

"It will be ok Hermione, we'll figure it out, I'll help you, and you're not alone". Those last three words broke her that was exactly how she felt; she buried her head into his shoulder and cried.

A/N Wow another hard chapter! I know I promised Christmas but it is coming in the next 'Hermione' chapter I aim to get all my favourite characters at least mentioned! Please review!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	9. Gryffindor Courage

Shades of Grey

Gryffindor Courage

_Minerva was sat in her quarters marking her fourth year's exam papers. She couldn't believe how fast time had flown by. Hermione was now in her fifth year, she was taking an Astronomy O.W.L. at the moment. Minerva was confident that she had done very well. Secretly Minerva wondered why Hermione had not been placed in Ravenclaw, she was exceptionally bright. As time had gone on Minerva had found it easier to be in her daughter's presence. _

_She remembered the troll incident in first year. Call it mother's intuition but she knew that Hermione had lied to her to keep her friends out of trouble, and she was so proud of her, there was the Gryffindor courage. Hermione's years in Hogwarts had been littered with outstanding exam results and dangerous pursuits. Hermione had chosen her friends carefully; Harry Potter was brave and strong yet in need of her intelligence and mothering, Ron Weasley on the other hand had her daughter's heart. Minerva had known long ago that the arguing was each others way of not getting too close. They had a future together. _

_She dipped her quill in a pot of black in and was about to continue her marking when her door was knocked in a loud and hurried way. She got up quickly and ran to the door. Filius was standing behind in looking extremely anxious,_

"_Minerva, Thank goodness you're here!"_

"_What's she done now?" Minerva asked,_

"_She's got Auror's with her, she's going for Hagrid" _

_Minerva ran to her desk, grabbed her wand and ran from her quarters leaving Filius to close the door and hurry as fast as his little legs would allow him, Minerva ran out of the entrance hall door and what she saw made her gasp,_

_Hagrid was surrounded by Auror's who were trying to subdue him, whilst Umbridge watched with her wand raised. Minerva had had enough, that women had brought too much destruction to her home, she ran forward to defend Hagrid,_

"_How dare you! How dare you!" she screamed at them, "Leave him alone! Alone I say! On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, to warrant such…" she was unable to say anymore, she saw the streaks of red coming towards her and knew no more._

_Minerva could hear the feint bleeping of magical monitor next to her, she had no clue where she was or how she had gotten here, all she knew was that she ached everywhere and the bleeping was beginning to annoy her, she tried to open her eyes but Merlin she was tired!_

"_It's about time you woke up Minerva a quite remarkable amount of things have happened during you short time in the land of nod" Albus said quietly, Minerva's eyes fluttered open,_

"_Albus?" she croaked,_

"_Yes Minerva it's me and I must say you had me quite worried, along with your young lions of course!" she looked up at him slowly _

"_Albus what happened? Where am I and why?"_

"_Ah my dear, quite a lot has happened during the past few days, few of which are pleasant to hear, but hear them you must for they involve your young lions" he said sadly,_

"_Potter? What's he done now?" she asked raising her eyebrow, it was the same at the end of every years he would always partake in some dangerous pursuit or another which would nearly always end in him or Ron and Hermione ending up in the hospital wing, she feared this year would be no different. She was right._

A/N I know this chapter is really short sorry! Please keep the reviews coming! Next chapter very soon!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	10. Christmas laughter

Shades of Grey

Christmas laughter

Christmas day dawned and the Burrow along with the surrounding area was covered in a thick blanket of snow. Hermione sat up in bed wrapping the quilt tightly around her; she looked over at Ginny's sleeping form and contemplated waking her but decided against it. She quietly put of her dressing gown and slippers and left the room. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, expecting it to be empty, but despite the hour Mrs Weasley and Professor Lupin were talking quietly over hot mugs of tea,

"…but I guess if she doesn't want to find her real parents then we shouldn't push her" came Lupin's whispered voice, Hermione retreated into the shadows listening,

"I just can't understand why she hasn't told Harry and Ginny, only Ron knows" Mrs Weasley questioned,

"She doesn't want to worry them Molly and its understandable, its good that she confided in Ron though, she needs someone" Lupin replied.

Hermione stepped forwards announcing her presence and wished them both a 'Merry Christmas' which they returned, she sat down on the bench and accepted the cup of tea that Mrs Weasley passed her. She turned to Professor Lupin,

"Professor, umm I couldn't help but overhear you…if I did want to find my real parents how would I go about it" she felt guilty in even asking her parents were dead and here she was trying to find new ones who had abandoned her years before. Lupin thought for a moment before answering,

" Well Hermione first of all, I'm sorry that we were discussing you behind you back we're just concerned about you" he paused allowing Mrs Weasley to apologise, Hermione smiled and nodded for him to continue, "Secondly, as we are not at school you don't need to call me Professor, Remus will be fine and finally in answer to your question you could look at the Adoption records that are filed at the Ministry of Magic, although its far too dangerous for you to go in the present climate, perhaps you could write to them and see if they can trace your parents?" Hermione nodded and decided that she would write to them the following day,

"How are you feeling Hermione? Would you like your potion now?" Mrs Weasley asked gently,

"No thank you Mrs Weasley, it makes me feel a bit sick if I have it before eating" she replied,

"Ok, well I'll give it to you after breakfast then" she said setting the potion back in the cupboard.

"Hermione, why haven't you told Harry and Ginny about this?" asked Remus looking at her, Hermione gulped,

"Harry's got too much to worry about right now and if I told Ginny she wouldn't like keeping it from him. I know she wouldn't tell him but it would make her feel awkward" Hermione replied looking down at the table, Remus nodded.

Mrs Weasley then stood up and walked over to the bottom of the stairs and shouted loudly, "WEASLEYS, HARRY, TONKS IT'S CHRISTMAS!" she then turned to Hermione and Remus and smiled widely as she heard the sound of ten feet running down the stairs.

Mrs Weasley cooked an enormous breakfast full of lots of Hermione's favourite things, ordinarily she would have been thrilled but today, she couldn't help it she just wasn't feeling festive. She tried to pick her way through breakfast but unfortunately Mrs Weasley noticed and piled extra on to her plate, knowing she had no choice she slowly ate her way through it. She felt awful, it was her first Christmas without her parents and she was still so angry with them for lying to her. She wanted to find her real parents but was angry at them as well. All in all Hermione was feeling very confused.

"Here's your potion Hermione" said Mrs Weasley passing it to her, she gulped down her dose then quickly washed it down with Pumpkin juice,

"What's the potion for Hermione? I thought you said you were fine" said Ginny loudly,

"I am" lied Hermione quickly, "Madam Pomfrey said it was just to give my immune system a boost", Mrs Weasley raised her eyebrows,

"Are you sure you're ok Hermione?" asked Harry

"She's just feeling a bit fragile at the moment Harry" said Ron with a sad smile towards his girlfriend, Remus soon steered the conversation to safer waters and Ron pulled Hermione into the garden for a walk.

"I'm sorry you had to lie Ron" Hermione said quickly as soon as they reached the bench by the pond,

"Don't worry about it, but you will have to tell them soon Hermione, they know something's going on, Harry thought you were pregnant!" said Ron warming her hands with his own,

"What did you say?" asked Hermione with the merest hint of a chuckle,

"I said no of course, he looked like he was about to hit me when he asked!" Hermione laughed out loud and Ron chuckled weakly,

"I'll tell them when I've found my real parents, I've thought about it and I definitely want to find them" she said with a look of determination,

"Ok but just make sure you don't neglect your studies Miss Granger!" said Ron in an obvious (yet very bad) impression of Professor McGonagall.

"Very funny Ron" said Hermione kissing him on his hand, Ron began to laugh again and when Hermione joined in the sound travelled all the way into the kitchen where Mrs Weasley was silently peeling potatoes. A smile graced her lips.

A/N Well what do you think? I managed to get all my favourite characters at least a mention Please review!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	11. Anger, Grief and Love

Shades of Grey

Anger, Grief and Love

_The battle was over; Minerva has just finished flooing the Weasley's to inform them that Bill had been injured. She walk sternly back to the hospital wing, as she turned the final corridor she met Hagrid, he was howling and shaking,_

"_Hagrid?" Minerva asked gently,_

"_Professor McGonagall! Something, something terrible happened… I can't believe it…Harry and Dumbledore…Snape…"_

"_Hagrid, go to the kitchens and calm down" she ordered calmly, wondering what had got Hagrid in such a state,_

"_No Professor…you don't understand…Professor Dumbledore's dead…" Minerva's stomach lurched,_

"_What…How?" she asked looking up at Hagrid's swollen face,_

"_I don't know…he's at the bottom of the astronomy tower… Harry said it had something to do with Snape…" _

"_Hagrid go down to the kitchens and calm down, I'm sure it's a mistake"_

"_No Professor I saw him, he's dead" Minerva pushed her emotions to the back of her mind and felt the tough façade grip her,_

"_Hagrid, things need to be done, round up the staff. Tell Pomona and Filius to get the children back into bed, then move his body" Hagrid looked at her for a moment as though amazed that she could stay so calm then nodded and walked away. Minerva sat on one of the stone benches for a moment preparing herself mentally for walking into the hospital wing, she was confused, what had happened? Albus was dead, he was dead and she had never forgiven him. She sat there for a few minutes then stood up and walked into the hospital wing._

_The Minister had just left her office. Minerva sat there quietly for a moment thinking. How could this have happened? She stood up and walked over to Albus's portrait she was angry with him, how could he trust Snape, how could he be so foolish?_

_He was sleeping so peacefully, a lone tear cascaded down her cheek, she hastily wiped it away. She left the office and walked silently to the astronomy tower. She sat there talking aloud,_

"_Albus how could you have let this happen! Why did you trust him so? I can't run Hogwarts on my own, that's if they even open it again! What will Harry do without you, how could you leave him now!" She was so angry that she wanted to lash out at him._

_It didn't take long before the anger gave way to grief, she loved him, and she always had. She should have forgiven him for giving Hermione away._

_She must have sat there for hours in silence, suddenly she heard a noise behind her, and she whipped around her wand outstretched. It was Molly Weasley._

"_Oh sorry Molly, you frightened me" she said lowering her wand,_

"_It's my fault Minerva I should have announced myself…I just wanted to see if you were ok?"_

"_How did you know I would be here?" Minerva asked looking out onto the horizon,_

"_I guessed" Minerva nodded and continued to look out,_

"_You loved him didn't you?" it was an innocent question, Minerva could have dismissed it quickly, she turned to Molly with tears falling thick and fast,_

"_More than I ever realised" she replied "now I'll never get the chance to tell him a…" Minerva was about to say 'again' but stopped herself, she guessed that Molly knew exactly what she had reframed from saying,_

"_Tell him now Minerva, tell him now" and with that Molly stood up and left Minerva alone, alone to tell him. _

A/N This chapter was really hard to write hence the slight delay, hope you liked it. Please review it means a lot!

Love you all 

Laura

xxx


	12. Wise words

Shades of Grey

Wise words

The rest of the Christmas holidays passed without incident, with the exception of Fleur announcing that she was pregnant, causing Mrs Weasley to dissolve into tears of pride whenever she saw her eldest son and his wife. The trio and Ginny flooed back to Hogwarts the day before term began and made their way towards the Gryffindor common room to relax before lessons resumed, or in Ron and Harry's case finish their Christmas homework. Hermione was sat in her favourite squashy armchair by the fire reading her Arithmancy textbook, or at least pretending to.

"You know Hermione," said Ginny quietly leaning over to her, "if you want to pretend to be reading to avoid talking to me then at least have the book the right way round" Hermione started, she was indeed holding the book upside down. She grimaced, closed the book and looked at Ginny,

"Sorry Ginny, I've just got a few things going on at the moment" Ginny looked at her friend sympathetically,

"Hermione I know things have been tough for you lately, especially as it was the first Christmas without your parents but they would want you to be happy, to move on, they loved you so much, you were their Hermione" Ginny said passionately obviously expecting Hermione to cheer up, on the contrary Hermione slammed the book on the small table in front of her and stood up so quickly that Ginny started,

"How on earth can you know that they loved me? You never even met them!" she shouted,

"Hermione of course they loved you, you were their daughter!" said Ginny quietly, clearly hoping to avoid a scene as people were starting to stare at them,

"No I wasn't!" Hermione screamed, Ginny's eyes widened and Hermione fled from the common room not even stopping when she heard Ron call her back, she ran until she couldn't run anymore.

She found herself near the Divination tower. She sat down against the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest, she knew that she shouldn't have shouted at Ginny and definitely not told her about her parents. Hermione's day had now progressed from very bad at breakfast to worse. She pulled out the crumpled letter from her robes pocket and read it again,

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_Thank you for your letter of the 26th December, after looking into the adoption records around the time of your birth unfortunately neither my colleagues nor myself have found any record of yourself or your parents. It is possible that during the last war the paperwork was somehow lost, or that your biological parents never registered your adoption. Again I would like to express my regret that this matter could not be resolved._

_Yours truly,_

_Heidi Gugworth_

Hermione crumpled up the letter and threw it to the other side of the corridor. She hugged her knees tightly and allowed tears to trickle down her face. She wasn't sure quite how long she sat there in silence until she heard hurried footsteps to her right, she turned and saw Professor Lupin running towards her;

"Hermione thank heavens here we've got all the ghosts and staff looking for you, not to mention half of Gryffindor!"

"Sorry Professor" sniffed Hermione apologetically, she saw a silver shape fly out of Professor Lupin's wand and knew that he was sending a Patronus to the search party, he turned to look at her with pity in his eyes, Hermione looked away wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she felt Professor Lupin sit down next to her,

"Here, have this" he said passing her a handkerchief, "Why did you run off like that Hermione?" he asked gently,

"I don't know" she whispered "I just needed to be on my own for a bit"

"Molly told me about the letter Hermione, is that it?" he asked pointing at the crumpled piece of parchment, Hermione nodded,

"I hurts to know that my true parents didn't even bother to register my adoption, it's like I didn't even matter, I was just an inconvenience"

"You don't know that Hermione, they could have lost the paperwork, or there could have been a perfectly logical explanation as to why they didn't register you"

"I…I just feel lost" she said quietly,

"Well" said Professor Lupin "there's a sure fire way to find yourself Miss Granger" he said lending his hand out to her, she took it and stood up straightening out her robes,

"What's that then?" she asked

"Being around people who love you" he smiled "So to the Gryffindor common room", she nodded and smiled,

"To the Gryffindor common room".

A/N Hope you liked this chapter, sorry about the slight delay but I am very busy getting ready for university! Please review! Also please check out my profile as it has details of a new story that I am starting with my best friend miss.mermaid-of-the-lake!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	13. Camomile Tea

Shades of Grey

Camomile Tea

_It had been a few months now since the night when Minerva had poured her heart out on top of the astronomy tower. It was now December and Minerva was sitting in her quarters drinking camomile tea in the hope that she would get some sleep tonight. Ever since Albus's death her nights had been riddled with nightmares and flashbacks and it was really taking its toll on the aging women. She would often have dreams about what would have happened if she and Albus raised Hermione, or if Hermione had found out. They caused Minerva to wake up in the early hours and lie awake for hours. As Minerva was now headmistress she needed to be alert at all times, she often wasn't and the staff were beginning to notice._

_Hermione, Minerva had noticed, was also having a trying term. The loss of her parents during the summer had unsteadied her and she was not as eager in classes and spent large amounts of time in the library. So far her grades had not suffered, but her appearance and mood had. She looked pale and thin and Minerva worried that she was not eating properly, although one thing in her daughter's life seemed to be bringing her smile back, Ron. Minerva had noticed as soon as term had started that Ron and Hermione were now courting and she was thrilled that they had finally got together, Hermione needed him._

_Minerva was disturbed from her thoughts by a soft tapping on the door; she placed her camomile tea on the coffee table and went to open the door. It was Remus Lupin. Minerva was glad that the governors had allowed him to return to his old teaching post, he really was an excellent Professor,_

"_Minerva am I disturbing you?" he asked politely_

"_Not at all" she replied stepping back and allowing him to enter, "Would you like a drink?"_

"_No thank you, I won't take up much of your time. I just…well I just wondered if you were ok?" he asked nervously,_

"_What do you mean" Minerva snapped, regretting it immediately,_

"_Well…don't take this the wrong way…but we were just concerned that you were having a rough time of it, you look tired Minerva," he finished awkwardly and stared at the floor._

"_Running a school is not easy Remus, especially during these troubled times" she said coldly,_

"_I know Minerva and you're doing a great job really you are, we were just worried about you…I mean are you sleeping?" he said desperately as though willing her to understand his concern,_

"_I…Lately I…it really is none of your business Remus" she stuttered,_

"_So that's a 'no' then" he said standing up, "Why don't you talk to Poppy, she's not just here for the students you know" and he left the room leaving Minerva in silence._

_She warmed her cup of camomile and had almost taken another sip when Remus's words hit her 'she's not just here for the students you know'. Minerva stood up and left her room._

"_Headmistress, what can I do for you?" Poppy asked as Minerva entered the hospital wing, which Minerva was pleased to see was devoid of students,_

"_Please Poppy call me Minerva, we were friends before I held this position you know" she said smiling sadly,_

"_As you wish Minerva, how can I help?" she asked with a hint of concern,_

"_I just…I just wondered if you had anything to…you see lately I'm having trouble sleeping" part of Minerva's Gryffindor courage was that she hated to admit that there was anything troubling her. She stared down at her clasped hands rather than look at the nurse. _

"_Trouble sleeping, I thought you looked tired," Minerva frowned,_

"_Well" Poppy continued "Have you tried camomile tea?" Minerva nodded "Ok well then how about milky drinks?" Minerva nodded again, "Well if you want I could give you a sleeping potion but then you could be tired during the day, but then again you already are" Poppy paused frowning, "Really we need to find the reason why your not sleeping, after all prevention is better than cure," Minerva looked down again, she knew why she couldn't sleep and did not need to talk about it,_

"_Never mind Poppy, I'll just keep on with the camomile, I'm sure it will pass" Poppy opened her mouth to retort when Ron and Hermione entered, Poppy looked up and walked towards them,_

"_Miss Granger, you don't look well, I'm assuming that's why you are here?" Minerva looked at her daughter, she had never seen her look this pale,_

"_Yes Madam Pomfrey" replied Ron "Hermione hasn't been feeling well and she's been having funny turns all over the place" Minerva saw her daughter throw Ron the type of glare that Minerva herself was famous for,_

"_Honestly, Ron don't over exaggerate, I had one dizzy moment! But I have been feeling a bit ill, have you got a potion or something, I can't afford my grades to suffer" Hermione replied as though grades were far more important than something as trivial as her health._

"_Miss Granger, you must make sure that your health is your number one concern" Minerva said looking down at the young witch, she then looked up at Poppy,_

"_Thanks for the advice Poppy" and left the hospital wing for another restless night's sleep._

A/N Well what do you think? Please review! Also please check on a new story "The Test of Time" that I am co-writing with miss.mermaid-ofthelake! Thanks you the great response I'm having to this I really appreciate it!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	14. Running away from the Truth

Shades of Grey

Running away from the Truth

Hermione had decided what to do. She was currently researching in the library, she was desperate to fine her true parents, and this desire had brought her to the library. She was looking through old registers trying to fine anyone with her name, so far she was not having any luck, and apparently 'Hermione' was not a popular name in the wizarding world. Hermione wasn't even sure that her true parents had named her; she just knew that her father always called her Jane rather than Hermione. She had been searching now for three hours straight; her eyes were skimming across the paged in a practised manner.

It was a dreary Tuesday afternoon and Ron kept popping in to try and persuade her to come to back to the common room. She knew that he was worried about her but she needed to do this, he just didn't understand. She closed the book entitled 'Past Students J-L' she was reading and picked up the next one (M-O) she began skimming down the page when she felt someone sit down next to her, assuming it was just Ron she just carried on reading,

"Miss Granger you really should be heading back to your dormitory now, it's getting rather late" Hermione jumped and looked up into the aging face of Professor McGonagall,

"Professor! Sorry I thought you were Ron…umm it's not that late is it?" she added looking at her watch, it was 9.30pm.

"Miss Granger you really should be resting, Madam Pomfrey informed me of your health issues" Hermione looked down, she hadn't really thought much about her health, she had the odd dizzy spell now and then but she took her potion when she should. With the search for her parents she had all but forgotten about it.

"Did Madam Pomfrey tell you about my parents?" Hermione asked looking up at her Head of House, who looked uncomfortable,

"Yes, but you really shouldn't be working this late, you have your N.E.W.T's this term" Professor McGonagall replied standing up, Hermione looked down at her book with the intention of closing it and going to bed when something caught her eye,

_McGonagall, Hermione_

_Gryffindor_

_Head Girl_

_Transfiguration Award_

Hermione stared at the words on the page; it wasn't possible, was it? She was dimly aware of Professor McGonagall talking to her,

"Miss Granger, why are you…." Professor McGonagall looked over Hermione's shoulder and saw what she was staring at.

"Umm…Miss Granger…Hermione…maybe we should go into my…my office" Professor McGonagall stammered, Hermione did not reply but looked up at her.

"Tell me it's a coincidence" she said quietly her eyes wide, Professor McGonagall's looked as though she were about to cry, this did nothing to convince Hermione that it was a simple coincidence,

"I...I can't…you…you weren't supposed…we didn't want you to know" Professor McGonagall stuttered, while her daughters voice remained calm,

"You're my mother?" she asked quietly looking her Professor directly in the eyes,

"Yes" Professor McGonagall replied "It was…during the first war…if…if people knew that Albus and I were together…" Hermione's eyes shot wider still,

"P…Professor Dumbledore was my father" Professor McGonagall nodded.

Hermione couldn't take any more she leapt up from her chair and ran from the library, she didn't really know where she was going but she just needed to run, she didn't even notice the cold when she ran out of the front entrance hall doors and into the snowy night, she reached the far side of the lake and collapsed onto a rock, panting. She picked up a large rock from the shore and threw it into the lake; she sat down on the rocks and watched the ripples fade.

A/N Sorry about the long delay but I've just started university and I had problems with my laptop! Hope you like this chapter it was really hard to write! Please review!

Love you all

Laura

xxx

P.S. The Test of Time should be updated on Monday


	15. A Little Help From A Map

Shades of Grey

A Little Help From A Map

_Minerva watched her daughter flee the library having finally learnt the truth. She sank into the chair that Hermione had been sitting in and her eyes caught sight of the book she had been reading, there in black and white was the truth. Her mothers name shined back at her. Minerva had named Hermione only a few days after she had been killed, Albus had told her that it was a risk but at the time she hadn't cared. Now she wished she had listened to him, she had a lot to regret where Albus was concerned._

_Minerva sat there lost in her thoughts until she realised that her daughter was somewhere in the castle alone and probably hurting. She stood up quickly and walked briskly to the Gryffindor Common Room. The Fat Lady let her in immediately, she thought at first glance that the room was empty but a second look told her that three people were sitting by the fire; she guessed who they were before she even heard their voices._

"_Potter, Weasley, Weasley, Where is Miss Granger?" she asked quickly ignoring their jump of surprise and the fact that all three of them had withdrawn their wands at the sound of her voice._

"_She's still in the library Pr..." replied Ginny_

"_No she's not, she…we had a…she ran away from the library about 30 minutes ago" Minerva replied with difficulty,_

"_Why did…" Harry began but Ron cut across him,_

"_Did she take her bag with her?" he asked quickly,_

"_No I don't think…" Minerva replied_

"_We need to find her Professor, it's got her potion in, and she was supposed to take it at 10, if she missed it…"_

"_What potion?" asked Ginny _

"_Not now Miss Weasley, Mr Potter go and fetch Professor Lupin, tell him the situation, I'll rally the ghosts it is imperative that we find…"_

"_Harry get the map" interrupted Ron for the third time, any other time Minerva would have reprimanded him but now was not the time,_

"_What map?" Minerva asked as Harry ran up the stairs to his dormitory,_

"_It will tell us where she is" Ron answered simply, Minerva did not press the issue. Harry came tumbling back down the stairs and laid out a map of Hogwarts on the table, Minerva had seen something like this before but again did not question it but, along with the three teenagers, searched for her daughter._

"_There, by the lake" said Ginny pointing at a spot by some rocks, Ron had barely glanced at the spot before he disappeared from the portrait hole. Sensing that Hermione would probably prefer to see him rather than her find her she followed his progress on the map, at one point she saw Filch in a corridor next to him, she immediately sent her lioness patronus to tell him to tell him that there were some second years near the dungeons, he must have turned around just in time to miss Ron's running form,_

"_What's going on Professor?" asked Ginny looking up at her Headmistress; Minerva looked down at her wondering what to tell her,_

"_If Miss Granger hasn't told you then she would rather you didn't know" she replied looking back at the map,_

"_We know that she was adopted" Harry added simply,_

"_Yes" Minerva replied it a similar simple voice,_

"_Did she find out who her parents are? Is that why she ran off?" asked Ginny, Minerva looked down at the youngest Weasley, she was undoubtedly the sharpest of all the siblings, _

"_You really should be in bed" said Minerva coldly and with that she turned and walked out of the Gryffindor Common Room to find her daughter, to talk to her, wherever it may lead._

A/N Sorry sorry sorry sorry! I know there has been a HUGE delay but I really will try and update within the week! Please review, I hope you like this chapter!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	16. Arguments in the snow

Shades of Grey

Arguments in the snow

Hermione could feel the snow falling around her, the odd flake touching her face. It was the kind of snow that was quiet and distant not accompanied by a roaring wind. She heard in the quiet a footstep crunching the undisturbed snow; she turned around to see Ron approaching her with caution,

"Hey Ron" she said, her voice cracking even with that simple gesture,

"Hey" he replied, "You forgot to take your potion" he continued handing it to her. Hermione took the required amount and then placed the bottle on the ground,

"What's going on Hermione? McGonagall said you ran off" he questioned sitting next to her on the rock,

"She lied to me" Hermione replied quietly looking up at him,

"McGonagall? What about?" he said taking her hand in his, he was not unsurprised by the coldness; she wasn't even wearing her cloak. He took of his own and wrapped in around her without a second thought. Hermione nestled herself into him before continuing,

"She's…Professor McGonagall is my mother" she said closing her eyes and holding Ron tighter,

"What? Are you sure?" Ron asked bewildered,

"Yes, and Professor Dumbledore was my dad" she continued calmly, she didn't have the energy to be mad, she was in a complete state of shock,

"I can't believe it" said Ron, Hermione looked up at his face his eyes were wide, he looked down into Hermione's confused face and kissed her gently on her head. Hermione felt a tear fall down her cold cheek and Ron's hand wiped it away.

"Hermione I need to talk to you" came a voice from behind the entwined couple, Ron and Hermione whipped round and saw Professor McGonagall standing awkwardly in the snow,

"I'm sorry Professor but I really can't talk to you right now"

"Hermione I really think I need to explain…"

"You don't need to explain" said Hermione angrily, she suddenly found herself on her feet and madder than she had ever been in her life,

"You abandoned me! You abandoned me and then when my parents die and I find out that their not my real parents you don't even say anything!"

"Hermione please, it wasn't like th…"

"Of course it was like that, I've been living a lie! All my life here I've been trying really hard to be the best at everything, to prove that being muggleborn doesn't really matter, I've been called a mudblood more times than I can count and it turns out that I'm not a muggleborn, in fact I'm the daughter of the two greatest witch and wizard of the age, no wonder I'm bright! ITS GENETIC, IVE BEEN SO PROUD OF BEING MUGGLEBORN AND PROVING THAT BLOOD DOESN'T MATTER!" Hermione took a breath here and clutched on to the rock for support.

"Hermione!" said Ron alarmed at her outburst,

"You don't understand Ron! All through Hogwarts I've been so proud of myself for proving that blood doesn't matter and being muggleborn wouldn't hold…wouldn't hold me back and now…" Hermione was now leaning over the rock struggling for breath, Ron ran forward and held her upright, Professor McGonagall was not moving, she was just stood there with a tear cascading down her cheek, Ron looked over at her,

"Professor!" he shouted, "Hermione needs you!" Hermione now had her eyes closed and looking as though each breath was causing her great pain, Rons final words seemed to penetrate through McGonagall's confused thoughts and she ran forward just as her daughter lost her fight with consciousness.

A/N Sorry about the long delay! Hope you like this chapter please review it! The next chapter should be up within the week.

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	17. Unexpected Thanks

Shades of Grey

Unexpected Thanks

_Minerva was sat by her daughter's bedside. Hermione was still unconscious but Madam Pomfrey had assured her that she would be fine. Ron had just left to get some sleep and Minerva and Hermione were left alone in the candlelit ward. Minerva looked down at her daughters expressionless face,_

"_I'm so sorry Hermione, I should have told you when your parents died or when you knew you were adopted, looking back I don't know why I didn't, I guess I was scared, scared of reacting like you did. I can understand your reaction I would have been the same…" Minerva rambled like this for some time before she noticed that Hermione's eyes were open and she was staring at Minerva with tears cascading down her cheeks, Minerva stared at her, unsure of how much she had heard. The silence was broken by Hermione,_

"_I understand Professor" although Minerva was grateful to hear that she understood the 'Professor' part of the statement brought a tear to her eye, would she never be called mother?_

_Minerva sat there not knowing what to say, she was saved once again by her daughters voice,_

"_Professor I would appreciate it if no one knew about this, things should go back to the way things were" Minerva met her daughters eyes and nodded. She then stood up,_

"_I hope you feel better soon Miss Granger" she said briskly, she walked to the end of the bed and was about to open the door to leave when Hermione spoke yet again._

"_I'm sorry Professor, this is the way it has to be" Minerva nodded and left._

_As the weeks went on Minerva found it easier to follow Hermione's strict 'limited contact' rule. Minerva was a professional and could handle almost any situation, or so she kept telling herself. Winter faded almost seamlessly into spring and before Minerva knew it Hermione and the other seventh years had taken their N.E.W.T's and were due to leave the school. Minerva had grown so accustomed to seeing Hermione return to the school in September that she knew the following year would be difficult._

_On the eve of the seventh year's departure there was to be a graduation ceremony and awards presentation. Minerva was in her quarters getting ready when there was a knock on her door, she opened it and was slightly surprised to see Ron Weasley standing on the threshold._

"_Mr Weasley, how can I help you?" Minerva asked surprised,_

"_Sorry to bother you Professor but I… I suppose I just…seems silly now really…"_

"_Mr Weasley spit it out the ceremony begins soon" she exclaimed with a slight smile on her face, she had never seen him quite so nervous, even before a Quidditch match._

"_Sorry Professor, I…I just wanted to…to thank you" she stopped and looked at her rather sheepishly; she was more than a bit surprised. She had definitely not expected that._

"_What for Mr Weasley?" she asked puzzled, he looked taken aback as though he thought that she would just accept his thanks and let him leave,_

"_Well for everything I suppose" when she continued to look puzzled he continued "for not expelling Harry and me when you've had ample opportunity, for not laughing in my face when I told you I wanted to be an Auror, for letting Harry research when he was supposed to be studying, for…for not pressuring Hermione, for everything really" Minerva stood there quite stunned, in her 42 years of teaching she had never heard a word of thanks from a student, let alone a boy until years after they had left and finally realised what Hogwarts had done for them._

"_Well see you later Professor" and he almost ran down the corridor before she had blinked. This, she predicted, was going to be a very interesting graduation._

A/N I'm really sorry for the EXTREME delay to this chapter but I've been really busy! Only one chapter to go now! I'm currently planning a new story and would love a beta, if anyone is interested please send me an e-mail and I'll give you the details. Please review this chapter and I will get the last chapter up as soon as possible!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


	18. Speeches and Hugs

Shades of Grey

Speeches and Hugs

Hermione was standing in front of the mirror in her room looking at her reflection. Ever since she had found out about her parents she had began this daily ritual of looking at herself and trying to see some part of their appearance in her. Ron who was the only other person who knew about it had joked that she could definitely glare like her mother. Hermione had laughed at this, trust Ron to try and lighten a difficult situation with a joke. They had grown much closer over the past few months. He had respected her wishes and not told anyone else, she wasn't ready for that.

A knock at the door disturbed her thoughts; she opened it to reveal a slightly grumpy looking Harry,

"Has Mrs Weasley been trying to cut you hair again?" Hermione asked failing to conceal a smirk,

"She cornered me coming out of the bathroom!" he replied in an exasperated voice,

"You should know by now that your doomed once a Weasley women has made up their mind" said a quiet voice from behind him, Ginny slowly looped her arm around Harry and he turned to look at her,

"Not sure if I've learnt the lesson yet" he replied cheekily, Hermione tutted and put on her hat,

"We'd better be go, I'm sure it's not too late to get a detention" she said shooing them out of the room.

They met Ron in the entrance hall, he looked quite awkward and out of breath,

"Ron, are you ok?" asked Hermione in a concerned voice slipping her hand in his.

"I'm fine, just fine" he said giving her a peak on the cheek,

"I don't know why you're nervous Ron, it's Hermione who's got to make a speech" said Ginny ruffling up her brother's hair. Hermione gulped she was trying to forget about it.

They took their places in the great hall which had been removed of the house tables and simply contained chairs looking towards the high table.

Professor McGonagall got to her feet and the hall quietened down,

"Welcome to the graduation ceremony. This year group has definitely been one of the most interesting that Hogwarts has ever housed, mainly due to its knack of finding trouble" a small ripple of laughter ran through the hall and Harry blushed a Weasley red, "apart from that I truly believe that the friendships across this group of young people is unrivalled, to deliver the main speech I would like to welcome a student who has shown incredible dedication to Hogwarts since her arrival, Hermione Granger". Hermione stood up and made her way to the podium, her legs felt like lead and her ears were ringing so much that she hardly heard the applause.

"Thank you Professor," she said politly "When we began Hogwarts 7 years ago someone told a friend of mine that we wouldn't know ourselves by the end. I don't think any of us could doubt how much Hogwarts had changed us. If I can to sum up my years at Hogwarts in one word I would probably choose love, I'm not talking about romantic love but more of a platonic love. The kind that friends share, even though we have arguments (and I've had a lot of arguments here) we all know at least one person who would go out of their way to help us, one person who would go that extra mile, one person who would never let you give up no matter how dark things got. I would now like to thank the staff, we have had many teachers during our time here, some great and some not so great, but as with friends we all know of one teacher who would walk that extra mile. A special thanks goes to Professor McGonagall who's commitment to the school over the past few years has been incredible, as a Gryffindor especially she has been a combination of a strict teacher and a caring mother so I would like you all to raise your glasses to Professor McGonagall" everyone raised their glasses towards the aging witch "Thanks mum" Hermione said loud enough for people to hear, no one questioned it some even copied her "My final word goes to my classmates and friends, go now and live how you want, but never forget what you learnt inside these walls, never forget Hogwarts!" a deafening applause rang out and chatter began to break out as friends went to talk to each other and parents congratulated their children.

Hermione stepped down from the podium and turned towards the high table with tears streaking down her cheeks, she wasn't alone in her tears Hagrid was bawling like a baby. Hermione walked round the table and saw her mother stand up and face her,

"Hermione thank…" was all she could get out before her daughter threw her arms around her and whispered "Can I call you mum?" in response Minerva simply hugged her tighter and they stayed that way for several long minutes.

A/N FINISHED!!!:) Hope you enjoyed the story please review it and let me know! A new story should be up in about a month. Thank you to all my regular reviewers, you make my day!

Love you all

Laura

xxx


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